The Mech Touch novel Chapter 4743

"Meow meow."

"Miaow."

"Settle down, you two." Aurelia instructed the cats. "Snacks will be served later."

As Clixie and Lucky stayed on guard and kept watch over the surroundings, Ves began to get pulled into a surprisingly engaging discussion with complete strangers.

Ves understood now why the directors of DEP Construction had been assigned to the same table as him and his little family.

He was not necessarily given the opportunity to talk to the representatives of a boring-sounding construction company.

Instead, Ves came in touch with the Serenitas Foundation for the first time!

There was no other reason why Chairman Bonte Richardson should be seated at this table.

The Davute Branch may have planned to build a lot of new real estate now that General Ark Larkinson pushed for greater engagement, but that did not require any special attention from a company known for building lots of military infrastructure.

Ves treated Richardson as if the older gentleman spoke for the Serenitas Foundation rather than his construction company.

Since Ves lacked an understanding of the mother company of DEP Construction, the chairman thought it would be best if he elaborated on this topic.

Ves along with the rest of his immediate family listened with rapt attention as Richardson unveiled a small amount of details about one of the more mysterious founding parties of Davute.

"I assume that you have received at least a basic description of the Serenitas Foundation. It is publicly known as a trust fund and has investments in over 60 different star sectors in the Milky Way Galaxy."

"Wow! 60 star sectors!" Marvaine couldn't control himself and sounded impressed. "You must be really rich!"

Chairman Bonte Richardson laughed in a good-natured manner. "We are richer than you, I am sure! Seriously speaking, we must work hard for the money. It is a constant struggle for the foundation to keep its investments afloat over the long-term. There are situations where our financial managers must decide to cut our losses and let go of an enterprise that previously earned us a fantastic return, but has since fallen behind the times."

"How long has the Serenitas Foundation been in operation?" Gloriana asked.

"It has started to allocate the funds placed under its care for over two centuries. Our investment strategy is fairly moderate in risk, so we have rarely lost our entire investments. On the other hand, our returns are not as dramatic as those earned by more adventurous investors."

This sounded like a great outlook for a trust fund that was expected to operate for several centuries.

Ves leaned forward in interest. "From what it sounds like, the Davute Project does not fit into this moderate risk category. The way that the colonial state is gearing up for a violent confrontation with Karlach makes it clear that this is among the riskier but more lucrative investment choices that your foundation has made."

The chairman gave Ves another appreciative smile. "That is correct. Others have made similar observations to us in the past. To that, we reply that there are no colonization projects in the Red Ocean that can truly be described as low risk. Even the smaller and more impoverished colonies that are located in obscure and low-resource star systems will drain a large amount of funding before they have finally reached a state of profitability."

That was an interesting way to look at the Red Ocean. Ves was inclined to agree with the man's descriptions. A lot of star systems in both the Milky Way and the Red Ocean were so low in value that it was extremely difficult to make them profitable.

Groups that tried to take them over and transform them into livable and profitable locations usually ended up harming themselves in the process.

"So what has drawn Serenitas to Davute?" Ves questioned.

"In our opinion, the Davute System is no more special than the Karlach System and the other port systems in the surrounding middle zones. We chose to invest a significant amount of funding in Davute because it was available and because we have existing business relations with the Clive Consortium."

As Richardson continued to say more about the Serenitas Foundation's stance on Davute, Ves got the feeling that the wealthy trust fund did not value this investment particularly highly.

If the chairman's opinion was reflective of the people who he answered to, then Serenitas actually treated this colonization project as a gamble that it could afford to make!

The impression that Ves got from this faction was much different from that of the Clive Foundation!

"So who carries the most weight in the halls of power in Davute?" Ves cautiously asked. "Are the rumors true that the Clive Consortium is the largest voice?"

Richardson and his fellow directors looked amused after they heard this question.

"The discussions that take place in the Skyline Palace and other governing institutions are confidential. I cannot go into too much detail on this topic, but as far as your rumor is concerned, let me correct you and state that the Clive Consortium has the loudest voice in the room. Whether the other founding partners are interested in the message that is being said is another matter."

"Your message is clear."

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